Social Contract
The political-philosophy claim that government's legitimate power comes from the (implicit) consent of the governed, who have agreed to trade some natural freedom for civil order.
Origin
The framework was given its modern form by three philosophers with very different conclusions. Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan, 1651): in the 'state of nature' life is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,' so people rationally hand all power to an absolute sovereign. John Locke (Two Treatises, 1689): they hand over only limited powers and retain rights to life, liberty, and property; if the sovereign violates the contract, revolution is justified. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (The Social Contract, 1762): people surrender their rights to a 'general will' that represents the community as a whole. Locke's version became American; Rousseau's became French.
Modern usage
Used loosely in modern political writing for any implicit understanding between citizens and state — 'the social contract is broken,' 'a new social contract for the AI age.' John Rawls' A Theory of Justice (1971) revived the technical concept with the 'veil of ignorance' thought experiment. Constantly invoked in arguments about welfare, immigration, and taxes.
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